The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Euphorbia plant, botanically known as Euphorbia milii Desmoul.×Euphorbia lophogona Lam., commonly known by the name Crown of Thorns, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘HJOR048’.
The new Euphorbia cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor, Steen Thomsen, in Haarslev, Fyn, Denmark. The new Euphorbia cultivar originated from a cross made in November of 2003 by the Inventor between an unnamed, unpatented seedling plant of an Euphorbia milii Desmoul. cultivar and an unnamed, unpatented seedling plant of an Euphorbia lophogona cultivar. The Inventor selected the new Euphorbia cultivar as a single flowering plant from the progeny of the above crossing in January of 2004 on the basis of its flower color combination, large leaves and upright, compact plant habit. Plants of the new Euphorbia cultivar have upright, compact plant habit, and produce large, abundant inflorescence with pink floral bracts.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first performed in February of 2004 by terminal cuttings, and propagation in trial production batches in Hjortebjerg, Denmark, has demonstrated that the combination of unique features as disclosed herein for this new Euphorbia cultivar are firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction. The new cultivar reproduces true-to-type.